Check Mate
by TimeGuardian
Summary: Joe plays a game of chess where the stakes are quite high.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is a little different than my other two. Here it is nearing the end of a mystery, but plans have gone awry, and Joe has to face a madman in a game. The stakes are quite high, as you will find out… _

_**Check Mate**_

Joe Hardy knew he was walking into a trap.

He and Frank had been investigating a major jewel heist that had occurred from a high profile display at the Hotel Carlisle in Charleston, South Carolina. It had been the hotel's fifty year anniversary, so the owner, Andrew Carlisle, decided to celebrate by showing off his family's jewel collection.

The estimates valued it at thirty million dollars, and when it all disappeared, the hotel staff did well to lock down the premises. The cops had been called, and no one could get in or out. Andrew had then called Fenton Hardy for help and in turn he had sent the two of them there undercover to see what they could uncover.

In the end, they had come to suspect Michael Stanton, who on the face of things, seemed like the biggest millionaire playboy in the world with an affinity for chess. However, things were never how they seemed, and they had trouble getting concrete proof of his activities.

That was when Frank had an idea and had gone to check something in Mr. Stanton's room. However, that had been over two hours ago. Joe had been beside himself with worry until he had received a note from Frank, asking him to come downstairs to the lounge.

Joe felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he reached the doorway of the hotel lounge. The mood around the hotel itself had been subdued since the police had everyone confined to the hotel ground. Many of the guests had opted to stay in their rooms to avoid most of the harassment.

However, in the middle of the lounge sat a game table, and behind it sat Michael Stanton.

He had to give the man credit. With short cropped red hair, black suit and bright red tie, Michael Stanton seemed like any jet-setting type of businessman you could easily find relaxing on a Sunday afternoon by reading the Wall Street Journal. The chess set that was set up on the game table looked like no ordinary set with each piece seemingly carved out of what looked like ivory and jade.

Mr. Stanton stood up and gave him a weak smile. "Ah, it's the younger Hardy. Care for a game of chess?"

Joe struggled to keep his emotions in check. This was the final piece in the puzzle, but if Michael Stanton was here and not Frank, that meant only one thing. "I know you have my brother. Where is he?"

Mister Stanton arched a brow. "Do I?"

He shook his head. "Cut the evasive crap, I found a note indicating that he would be here. Considering that you're here and there's no sign of him, there had to have been some sort of foul play."

Now the man was clapping, which frustrated him even more. "Bravo, young Joseph! Your reasoning is not unlike the great Sherlock Holmes."

Angered, Joe wanted to rush him, but before he could put any type of plan into action he caught sight of what was in Mr. Stanton's hands and stopped cold.

The man was holding what looked like a detonator of some sort.

Mr. Stanton looked at him in some amusement before looking down at the object in his own hands. "Oh, are you interested in this? I figured that this would get your attention. This little beauty is what I call my insurance policy. If I were to press this little button, somewhere on the premises will be one room that will be decimated. You see, I carry the tools I need when I go on these little jewel quests, and that includes explosives. As for your brother Frank, if he just so happened to be tied up in that room, then I could just easily demand that I be allowed to leave the hotel with my treasures or else."

The man was enjoying himself way too much, and that left Joe feeling uneasy. "What's to stop me from having the cops do a room by room search?" he retorted.

Mr. Stanton's mood did not change. With a laugh, he replied. "Well then, I would have to anticipate a move like that. That's made easy enough when you consider that there are at least forty rooms in this hotel and for another, if you do happen to find the right room, a pressure sensitive switch will detonate the explosives prematurely when the door to the room is opened, making sure Frank and whoever his rescuers happen to be would be obliterated in one fell swoop."

He then checked his watch. "And finally, there is a timer in on top of all of this, set for two hours from now. So even if you or the authorities try and stall for time, the point would be moot anyhow."

The man was crazy. Joe could barely get out the words. "You- you monster!"

Mr. Stanton now frowned. "Joseph, it is just business. One doesn't get to the position that I am in without stepping across a few backs. Now, I don't suppose you will be nice and go tell the police about my demand, will you?"

Joe shook his head firmly. "Not quite. I'm not leaving here until I find out what I want to know."

"Well then, I would say that we have a standoff, don't we?" Mr. Stanton replied as he sat back down and gestured to the chess board. "How about a game of chess to pass the time? I haven't been beaten at the game in over two years."

"Where's the sport in that?"

It took a moment for the man to think about the question. "You know, Joseph, you do have a point. Tell you what, I will sweeten the pot for you. If you play me and win, I will give myself up, give you the room number your brother is in, and give you the detonator. Lose, and you will be my hostage out of here instead of your brother, who I will release."

Joe froze at the offer. He had played Frank more than once at the game, but with Mr. Stanton's boast about being unbeaten for two years, every instinct screamed at him that this was a trap. However, Joe realized that his alternatives were few. This madman seemed to have thought of everything. What he needed was to find a weakness and opportunity to strike, which meant only one thing.

Joe asked. "How do I know that you'll honor your word?"

The grin was back on Mr. Stanton's face. "So I take it we have a game then?"

As a reply, Joe walked over to one corner of the lounge, grabbed a chair and shoved it to the opposite side of the table. He quickly sat down and gave his opponent a cold stare before growling. "Make your move."

--

_I have to confess, Chess is not my favorite game, but the strategy to the game is something to respect. In part two, you will get to see if Joe can outwit his opponent and rescue Frank. Hope to see you there. :) _


	2. Chapter 2

_Part II_

_11:30AM_

The clock on the wall in the hotel lounge read 11:30AM, and Joe knew that didn't leave him much time. He looked at the chess board in front of him and then at his opponent. "What are you waiting for? Make your move!"

Michael Stanton looked at him with an irritated glance. "Patience, Joseph. A good game of chess is like a fine wine. It is meant to be savored."

And with that, he made his first move while keeping his other hand firmly around the handheld detonator, opting to push one of his Jade colored pawns forward two spaces.

Joe thought for a moment before matching the move in kind with his own pawn. He studied Mr. Stanton as he looked over the board.

After a few minutes of silence, Mr. Stanton moved one of his bishops and asked. "I was curious about something. How did you two 'amateur detectives' latch on to me anyhow? I thought I had covered my tracks quite well."

Joe shook his head in disbelief. The way Mr. Stanton had said amateur detectives made it clear that he was trying to insult him.

Joe kept his voice even as he moved another pawn. "Simple. When we had initially come into the hotel a few days ago, we came undercover as last minute guests on their way to tour downtown Charleston. The local cops were apprised of our plan and allowed us to go anywhere in the hotel."

Mr. Stanton's hand hovered over the piece he had been planning to move. He looked at Joe with an inquisitive glance. "Anywhere in the hotel? Quite a privilege, but I don't see-"

Joe cut him off. "I'm not finished. I have to admit, I had initially written you off as a stuffed shirt businessman that was simply wound too tight. It was your eagerness in wanting to help the cops figure out everyone's movements on the night of the theft that set Frank's suspicions off. That's when we started keeping surveillance on you. After all of your trips outside and to the maintenance shed with a duffel bag we were wondering-"

As he thought back to the surveillance, something about the pattern made Joe realize exactly where Frank was stashed. "You have Frank stashed in the maintenance shed behind the hotel. It's the only area that makes sense."

It took only a glance at Mr. Stanton to know that he was right on the mark, judging by the man's sputtering. "I had to have a place to hide the jewels after all. After the cops had prematurely cut off my only means of escape, I figured I could hide them and sneak out during the night, picking them up in the process. You two thought you had the drop on me, but when I managed to catch your brother discovering my precious jewels in the shed, I knew I had to take action," he retorted.

Joe shook his head simply and stood up. "Frank figured that you would reveal yourself or the hiding place for your loot. You were so overeager to provide 'suggestions' to the cops after all, it wasn't hard to miss your little midnight visits outdoors. For someone that seemed so helpful, it sure looks suspicious for you to try and find a way off of the property and to visit the shed. But I suppose now that you have Frank stashed there, you have probably moved the jewels somewhere safer. Let me guess, you used an 'original' hiding place like the pool house, am I right?"

Mr. Stanton held up the detonator in his other hand and retorted angrily. "Need I remind you that I still hold a trump card? We are far from finished here, Mr. Amateur Detective, and I figured out you are not wired for sound, otherwise we would have been interrupted by the cops far before now. Now are you going to play or not?"

Joe sat back down in frustration at the man's intuitiveness, but noticed that at the same time Mr. Stanton was showing an equal amount of frustration. The move that he had just made on the chessboard opened a weakness in his defenses. Forcing a smile on his face, he studied the board for his next move.

_12:00PM_

_I don't know how Frank does it_.

Joe glanced over the chessboard at the pieces that remained. He had managed to hold his own and protect his king, but it had come at a heavy price - nearly half of his pieces had already been captured by Mr. Stanton's moves.

What he knew about chess he had learned from Frank from when he managed to con him into it. It was thought-provoking, complex, and he could barely keep his mind wrapped around it.

He looked up at the clock and noticed that it had just ticked over to one minute past noon. An hour and a half left to work on this guy's weakness? Sure Mr. Stanton was vain and boastful, he had more than proven that when he scoffed at the explanation on how they had narrowed down the suspects of the jewel theft and- and that was when he realized the most simple of options could work to his advantage.

_I just have to keep chipping away at him._

"Earth calling Joseph Hardy, come in," his opponent called out, breaking him out of his train of thought. "It's your move."

Joe quickly retorted. "Hey, show some respect. If I can't rush you, you can't rush me, Mr. Stanton."

His opponent chuckled. "On the contrary, I told you I haven't been beaten in two years. In fact, I was set to compete professionally not too long ago, but the scores I made with my acquisitions were better than anything that I could win competitively. Being the greatest thief has its quirks."

Joe snorted in laughter as he moved his pawn diagonally to capture one of his opponents. "You must have really stunk at chess to turn to crime, because it seems to me the 'greatest thief' in the world would not have been so easily fingered by two amateur detectives."

He struggled to hold back a smile as he watched Mr. Stanton sputter and turn three shades of crimson before moving one of his rooks.

_Score._

_1:00PM_

"Time is almost up, Joseph," Mr. Stanton gloated. "You cannot possibly win. I have systematically wiped out almost all of your pieces."

Joe looked down at the board and then back up at him. Mr. Stanton had cleared out nearly two thirds of his pieces, but it was clear that he wasn't paying attention to his own side. There were a few ways he could sneak in and capture Mr. Stanton's king, but he had to do it just right. _Time for one last 'push'._

"You know, I can't believe you are a successful thief. For the past hour and a half, I have heard nothing but 'I am the greatest this' and 'you couldn't possibly' that. You make me sick," Joe replied with a dismissive tone.

"For your information, before I came to this hotel, I had quite a wonderful visit in Georgia," Michael retorted as he moved his rook. "Their local museum had the most interesting coin exhibit. It only took a small bribe to a guard and night's worth of work but I cleaned them out of a half million dollars worth."

Joe looked over the board and decided on moving on moving his only bishop. "Simple chump change. Besides, I bet if I were pulling off a job like that I wouldn't have had to bribe a guard. I would have pulled the job all by myself."

Michael huffed, placing the detonator on the table. "You are insulting a genius, Joseph. It took cunning and only a little money-"

"Are you going to move or not?" Joe interrupted.

Angered at being interrupted, it only took him a moment to push one of his few remaining pawns forward a space before continuing. "As I was saying, it only took a little money and the threat of ratting him out to the cops to get the guards cooperation. It made less work on me, and I was in and out of there in fifteen minutes. What do you think of that?"

"Well, you might want to reconsider your self proclaimed title of genius." Joe said as he moved his final piece into place and then stood up with a grim sense of triumph. "Check and mate, Mr. Stanton. I've beaten you."

Michael Stanton froze and stared at the board in open mouthed shock. "How- how did you beat me?"

Joe leaned over the game table and quickly picked up the detonator before Mr. Stanton could come to his senses.

"My brother taught me a few things about the game. It's really not that different from football actually: It's all in the way you psych out your opponent," Joe replied lightly as he kept a firm hold on the detonator. He then leaned in close to his opponent with a cold smile. "Now let's see what the cops can do with that bomb of yours."

_1:20 PM_

Frank Hardy was struggling against his bonds, trying to think himself out of this mess, when he heard a noise at the window of the maintenance shed that he was in.

Suddenly, the square window exploded inward in a shower of glass fragments, forcing Frank to turn his head. Moments later, two cops clad in body armour slipped in and set to work on the door, disabling the explosives that had been placed there along with the sensor that would have tripped them.

Once everything was secure, they had seen to him, cutting him free from his bonds and helping him to his feet.

When Frank walked out of the maintenance shed and into the bright sunlight, he found Joe waiting for him only a few feet away standing near one of the police cars that were surrounding the hotel.

Joe was grinning from ear to ear, but Frank couldn't miss the concern in his brother's voice as he approached him. "Are you okay, Frank?"

He nodded. "Care to tell me what happened?"

When Joe explained how he had gotten the best of Mr. Stanton, Frank nodded appreciatively. "Good job."

Joe smiled and bowed slightly. "Glad to be of service. I just did what you always do to me when you trick me into playing you - I talked him to distraction and he slipped up."

Frank laughed. "So does that mean that I can challenge you to another game of chess when we get back home?"

Joe shook his head emphatically. "Not a chance, Frank. I've had enough of psyching people out across a chessboard to last quite a while. How about a nice easy game of football instead?"

--

_The moral to this story? There is more than one way to play a game. ;)_

_Hope you enjoyed the ride. _

_Till next time,_

_TimeGuardian_


End file.
